The Protector
by HopelesslyHappy
Summary: When Ariadne has finally had enough of the men in the suits attacking her, she and her roommate Morgan join Cobb and the team to find out what it is they want and how to stop them. Ariadne/Cobb Arthur/OC
1. The Attack

"Ariadne I'm back! I brought Chinese!" Morgan closes the door and puts her keys on the hook. The shower is running so she walks to the back of the apartment into the ridiculously orange bathroom.

"I heard you! How was the gym?" The smell of cherry blossoms overwhelms the room as Morgan wipes off the water on the mirror to wash her face. Golden bronze eyes and hair that is sometimes brown sometimes black, depending on the lighting, are slightly visible through dewdrops.

"Fine. Crowded." Also visible, is a purple bruise that wraps around the left side of her face from temple to nose. It had been there for days now and it still hadn't healed completely. Sighing loudly, she angrily pumps soap into her hands and scrubs it onto her face.

"Go ahead and set the table I'll be there in a sec." Morgan leaves the bathroom and closes the door in hopes that the food doesn't end up tasting like a cherry blossom. Morgan had been living with Ariadne for almost six months now. Morgan needed someone to take care of her when she was too injured to do it herself, and Ariadne needed someone to protect her from the people who were after her because of her job. It was a perfect match. As Morgan set the blue and white plates on the small beat up table, what sounds like a window breaking echoes through the apartment. Worried that Ariadne has fallen and hurt herself, Morgan calls her name and walks back to the bathroom.

"Ariadne? Are you okay?" Her hand reaches out to turn the doorknob when a man rushes her from behind. Frustrated that someone has caught her off guard, she kicks him in the groin and lays an elbow into his nose. He falls to the floor and Morgan frantically searches for Ariadne. The bathroom, empty. Ariadne is in her room dressing. "What the hell?"

"Come on we have to go! Now! There's men in the apartment." Her eyes widen but she doesn't question her. Morgan grabs her hand and leads her out the door. Three other men try and stop the girls but Morgan takes them down with only a bloody lip to show for it. Thinking there will be backup on the way, they grab their bags and make a run for it.

"We should get a hotel room under an alias. It's not safe to call or contact anyone yet. We need to lay low at least for the rest of the night." Ariadne is pulled along as they wander the streets of France.

"Why did they do that Mo? What did they want?" It is audible in Ariadne's voice that she's on the verge of crying. Morgan knew about Ariadne's past. She knew about the dreams and the jobs. She had fought off the men in the streets that had tried to grab Ariadne on previous nights. She listened to Ariadne crying in her sleep every time she had a nightmare.

Not wanting to scare Ariadne by telling her they probably wanted her for ransom or leverage, she simply replied, "I don't know Ar, I don't know."

After a good hour of wandering the streets, they check into a hotel that has a fair amount of traffic so as to lay low. Morgan makes sure Ariadne is fine and sighs into an armchair by the door. She had decided on the way over she would stay up in case someone had followed them here. Grabbing a cup of coffee and a magazine, Morgan only reads a few pages when she hears the soft breathing sound of Ariadne sleeping.


	2. Wounds and Words

"She should have been here by now! What time did you tell her?" Cobb frantically paced the warehouse floor. The three men had been waiting over two hours for their architect to arrive. This was the first time she had ever been late.

"I told her eight a.m. I've called her cell five times, she's not answering." Arthur runs his hand through his gelled hair out of frustration. This wasn't like Ariadne, at all.

"Let's go to her apartment then. I take it you know where it is, darling?" Eames got an eye roll from Arthur as he grabbed the keys and the three men left the warehouse.

As they walked up the three flights of stairs to her room, the tension was running high. All three of them had their guns drawn with the safety off. Turning the corner, a wide open door caused Cobb's heart to skip a beat. Upon entering the apartment, the men witnessed a scene of upturned, ripped furniture and broken glass.

"Holy shit." Eames, stunned, just stared in horror.

"Check all the rooms, check everything for her or any sign of her." Cobb busted open every door but with no luck. There was no sign of her.

"How could we let this happen? Maybe, maybe she's back at the warehouse. Wondering where we are. Yeah, that's probably where she is. We should check."

"She's not there Eames! If she's not dead, someone has her and she will be soon. This is our fault. She had no part with our interactions with Cobol. Arthur, let's go see if we can find out who did this." Eames and Cobb begin walking to the door while Arthur takes a few last looks around the apartment. The men silently walk back to the sedan and drive back to the warehouse.

Cobb pulls out his keys and opens the sliding door into the warehouse. As Eames turns on the lights, the three men stop dead after seeing Ariadne hovering over a figure lying on a lawn chair.

"Ariadne! What happened?" Cobb worriedly rushes to Ariadne to make sure she's okay.

"Cobb! Thank goodness you're here. You have to help her. Please! I don't know what to do!" Tears are falling onto the floor to join the puddle of blood under the girl on the chair. The girl's face is pale white and her lips are turning grey. Her forehead, covered in sweat, is also covered in bruises.

"Arthur, get the first aid kit. I think she's been shot. Who is she Ariadne?" Cobb waits as Arthur returns with a large white bag. He takes out some bandages and begins to sterilize a few needles. His eyes scan over the girl's small frame and his eyes linger over her chest. It's obvious she's struggling to simply breathe in and out.

"Um, her name is Mo. Morgan. She's my roommate. Men came last night and we hid out at a hotel a few miles south. They followed us there, too, Cobb! The same men. They shot her! They were trying to shoot me and she protected me. She saved my life so you have to save her Arthur! Please!" Ariadne's voice broke on the last few words and she broke down into tears. Cobb pulled her into his chest and held her there.

Arthur opened Morgan's blouse and inspected the wound. The bullet didn't seem deep, but it was close to her lungs so there was danger of her lung collapsing. He filled a syringe with lidocaine and pressed it into her side. The girl inhaled sharply, but she didn't try to stop him. Arthur worked for the next few hours to remove the bullet, clean the wound, and stitch it up. She was unconscious for the whole thing, which was probably for the best.

Ariadne had fallen asleep in Cobb's arms, and Eames was busy on the computer trying to figure out the best place for them to relocate. Arthur placed a pillow underneath the girl's head and made sure she was stable before joining Eames.

"We most likely have two or three more hours before they find us here, too. We lead to leave soon. Where did you have in mind?"

"I was thinking somewhere in Russia. Do you think you can survive the cold, darling?" Eames being Eames was only trying to lighten the mood. It didn't hurt that he got to harass Arthur as well. They were all glad Ariadne was alright, but she was obviously very upset about her friend. Arthur was certain she would recover though. Hopefully, Morgan could survive the cold.

Arthur had sent Ariadne, Cobb, and Eames to pick up some supplies and pack some clothes suitable for Russian temperatures. He had promised Ariadne he would look after Morgan until she returned. He had checked on her within the past five minutes, so he decided to look into a good hotel to stay in for the night until they find a safe enough warehouse to work in. Arthur was deciding between two four star hotels when a loud gasp and ragged breathing reminded him there was another person here with him. He rushed to her side and found her awake and nervously running her hand over he side.

"Hey, it's okay. You're okay. My name is Arthur. I'm a friend of Ariadne's. She just stepped out for a bit to buy some supplies. Your wound is healing; the bullet was removed. I can give you something for the pain if you're uncomfortable." Arthur couldn't help but notice the girl was absolutely stunning. He had seen many beautiful women but never one quite like this. She had dark hair that could pass for brown or black, and honey colored eyes that right now were tinged with worry and shock.

"No, I'm…I'm fine. Ariadne, she's okay right? She's not hurt is she?" Her face searched his to make sure he was telling the truth.

"Yes, I think you saved her life. Thank you for that, by the way. You risked your life for her."

"Of course. She would have done the same for me. I'm just glad she's okay." Morgan attempted a weak grin but it turned into a grimace as she shifted painfully in her chair. Her white blouse was ripped and soaked with blood and her black shorts and black boots had probably seen better days. She inhaled deeply and closed her eyes.

"So your Arthur, huh? Ariadne told me about you. She said you are very smart and kind." Not opening her eyes to meet his, his shocked expression stayed in place.

"She said that? About me? I, I didn't think she would tell people about me."

"Well, she doesn't tell everyone. I think she only told me."

Arthur opened his mouth to question her more when the door slid open and Cobb and the others rushed in. Cobb was the first to speak, "We have to go. Now."


	3. Missing

Arthur didn't question Cobb. He simply grabbed his bag and went back to get the girl.

"I can walk." Morgan stood up from the chair, lost her balance, and fell into Arthur's arms. I small smile played on his lips as she proved herself wrong. Arthur strapped this bag across his shoulder and carried Morgan into the SUV parked outside. As soon as the doors were closed Cobb pealed out of the driveway. Ariadne, with huge eyes, helped Morgan into her seatbelt.

"Does someone want to tell me what's going on?" Arthur, upset that he wasn't in control and in the know, let his voice fill thick with acid as he glared at Eames, assuming it had something to do with him.

"They found Ariadne out here, too. They know that she and the girl are with us now. No one is safe anymore. We're going to Russia as planned. We need somewhere safe to lay low until we figure out who's responsible for this." Cobb's knuckles were turning white as he gripped the steering wheel, turning corner at impossible speeds.

The jostling was moving Morgan around too fast and too hard. Arthur constantly was checking on her from the corner of his eye to make sure she wasn't going to pass out. She seemed to be holding up very well though, he noticed.

"If we're going to be flying, we'll need to get Mo a new shirt first. I think her blood soaked and ripped one with draw the attention of TSA, which is exactly what you don't want when you're trying to leave the country in a hurry." Ariadne smiled down at her roommate and gently squeezed her hand; Morgan weakly smiled back at her.

"There's no time to stop here. And we're not flying, we're taking a train. It's easier to get on and off if need be." Cobb sharply turned the corner and came to a stop at the train station. "The next train leaves in five minutes, so hurry up. Arthur, give Morgan your jacket." Cobb rushed off, Ariadne guessed to buy them tickets by bribing the ticket master.

Arthur and Ariadne helped Morgan out of the car, and Arthur easily slipped his jacket off and onto her slim shoulders. She swayed slightly, but she didn't lose her balance this time. Eames took up the rear and they made their way toward the train.

"Thank you." Morgan whispered it so silently Arthur almost didn't hear her. Her eyes found his and his question was obvious in his eyes. "For everything. The jacket. Helping me into the car. For saving my life. Thank you. I owe you."

Surprised, and unsure of how to react to emotion, Arthur simply said, "You're welcome."

The five of them got aboard the train and took their seats in an empty cabin near the back of the train. Eames left shortly after they got settled to get coffees and croissants. After two Styrofoam cups of black coffee and three croissants, Cobb seemed much more at ease.

"You know," Eames began with a mouthful of croissant, "I don't think we were properly introduced. I'm Eames. Pleasure to meet you." Eames stared down Morgan with a wide smile and hand outstretched.

"I'm Morgan. It's nice to meet you too." Her slender hand reached out to shake his and she smiled in return.

"And this is stiffy over here is Dom Cobb. You can call him whichever you like." They shook hands as well and then Cobb excused himself to go check out the rest of the train. He asked Arthur to come with him in case they ran into trouble, and with a final glance at Morgan Arthur followed behind Cobb.

"So, darling, have you got a boyfriend then?" Eames smiled a crooked smile as he shoveled another croissant, whole, into his mouth. Morgan was about to answer him when suddenly two men entered the cabin and knocked Eames out cold. Both men were dressed in all black suits. Both had guns drawn on the two girls. The first one, with greasy blonde hair and brown eyes, grinned a semi toothless grin at Morgan. This was the same man who had shot her back in the hotel. The man behind him, who was considerably smaller, had dark hair and dark eyes.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here, James? This is the same brat who stopped us the first time. But this time she's wounded, aren't you? Tsk tsk tsk. You should be more careful when you pick friends next time. This wasn't even about you, and now you're going to have to die." The blonde haired man raised his gun to eye level with Morgan. His pointer finger inched closer to the trigger, but he never had time to pull before Morgan shot up and ripped the gun out of his grip and smashed his head into the above head baggage carrier. The second man, obviously stunned, simply stared down at his mate, now that his blonde hair was turning a deep scarlet. Worried for his safety, the man darted out of the room as quickly as he could.

"Stay here, Ariadne. Search this man's clothes and see if you can find an I.D." Morgan, the blonde's gun in her hands, made her way around the bodies on the floor and started to leave the cabin.

"Wait! Arthur and Cobb will be back soon. Then they can go look for him. Please, stay. You already risked your life for me once and you almost died doing it! Please, I can't lose you." A tear escaped Ariadne's eye, but Morgan knew she had to find the man. If she waited any longer, he could already be off the train. And then they would never know who was behind this.

"I'll be back, Ar, don't worry." And with that, Morgan was gone.

When Cobb and Arthur were satisfied with the layout of the train, they returned back to their cabin. What they walked into was not at all what they had expected. Ariadne, crying and slightly shaking, was hovering over a man with a serious head wound. Eames was passed out on the floor as well but he seemed to be stable; only slightly harmed.

"Ariadne! What happened? Are you hurt?" Cobb rushed to Ariadne's side and took hold of her hands that were trying to search the man's back pockets.

"Where is she, Ariadne?" Arthur, still standing in the doorway, looked very serious with his eyes pinched together. Cobb, taking his eyes off Ariadne, looked up at Arthur, he had never seen Arthur act this way before. He had never seen him appear to care so much about the well being of someone. Especially someone so small that he had only known for a few hours.

"She went to find the other man. He ran when he saw what she did to this guy. They said they don't even want her, but they're going to kill her any way. Because of me, Cobb. Because she protected me! This is all my fault. I don't know how I let this happen." Ariadne was so upset now she couldn't continue with her speech. Cobb looked up at Arthur again, this time with a look on his face that he knew Arthur would understand. Arthur was to find the girl. Find her and bring her back here alive. Otherwise, Ariadne would never calm down. And Cobb knew he couldn't bear to see her like this much longer.


	4. Breathing is Believing

Arthur quickly scanned through five cabins. No sign of the girl yet. If he didn't find her soon, he would have no other choice then to return to Cobb and Ariadne and tell them Morgan was dead. Opening the door to the last cabin, Arthur hears a gun click behind his head. Shit. What did he get himself in to.

"Don't follow me, don't look for me. If you swear not to, I'll let you and the girl live." Arthur was then forced to kneel on the ground with his hands held behind his head.

"Swear it!"

"Give me back the girl, and I will." Arthur knew that if the girl was already dead, he would be finding and killing this man no matter what.

"I'll tell you where she is once you-" Arthur heard a body hit the ground and turned around to see the man, out cold on the floor, and Morgan standing behind him.

"Are you okay?" Her eyes scanned his body to make sure there were no serious wounds.

"Yes, I'm fine. Are you? Ariadne is so worried about you." Arthur got to his feet while Morgan picked up the man and made her way back to the cabin. Man, she really was strong. Arthur was contemplating this new found fact until Ariadne's joyful cries broke his concentration.

"Oh, Mo! I'm so glad you're okay! Don't you ever do that to me again okay? Promise me you won't leave me like that!" Ariadne hugged her friend as Morgan set the body on the bench and winced slightly as the movement pulled on her stitches.

"I promise to do whatever it takes to protect you, and if I can do that without leaving you, I will. Right now I just need to sit down for a second until the world stops spinning." Morgan practically fell onto the seat and closed her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose with two fingers.

"You might be faint from the blood loss. Cobb, we should get to a hospital so I can get some donor blood. What's your blood type Morgan?"

"No Arthur, you know we can't stop at a hospital. It's too dangerous." Cobb was helping the now semi-conscious Eames to a seat on the bench. Ariadne was searching the dark haired man's wallet but turned around to join in the conversation.

"Wait Arthur, does she really need it? If she does, I'll do it. I'll get the blood. The three of y'all can cover me and I'll go in and get it. I can do it, Cobb. You just have to let me. She already risked her life for me." Ariadne's eyes showed that she was already dead set on this mission. She wasn't going to take no for an answer.

"No, Ariadne it's fine. Until I really need it, we won't worry about it. I'm fine for now."

Arthur, Cobb, and Eames spent the remainder of the trip looking up details about the two men from the train. So far, all they knew was that the id's were fake, and they still had no real leads. Meanwhile, Ariadne dosed off with Morgan sleeping in her lap.

After the incident on the train, the rest of the trip went smoothly. After they arrived in Russia, they left the bodies on the train seeing as how they were useless now. Arthur had found a hotel close by that should give them some protection, at least for the night. They had checked out one suite, Cobb thought strength in number was the best way to go for now, and the five of them were making their way up the stairs when Morgan collapsed.

Ariadne rushed to her, "Mo? Mo? Wake up! Mo?" The girl did not wake. Arthur checked for a pulse, then checked again when he didn't find one. "Arthur? She's okay right? We can go to the hospital now, I'll get the blood, you'll give it to her, and then she'll wake up. Right? Arthur?" Not getting a response from the now frantic Arthur she searched Cobb's face for reassurance.

"No, Ari. I'm sorry. I don't think so." He made his way to pull Ariadne to him, but she jerked away from him, anger flashing through her eyes.

"NO! She's not dead! She's fine! Morgan! Morgan Tess Dascov! WAKE UP!" Tears were now falling from Ariadne's eyes as she slapped and shook the girl. Arthur had sunk to his knees next to the girl. He didn't understand how he could have let her die. He shouldn't have listened to them; he should have gotten blood back on the train. This was his fault. Eames crossed his chest and closed his eyes in prayer. Finally, Cobb picked up the girl and made his way up the stairs to their room. Reluctantly, the other followed him.

Cobb placed Morgan on the bed, took off Arthur's jacket, and searched in his bag for a syringe. After disinfecting it, he stabbed the needle into his arm and pulled out a syringe-full of blood. Disinfecting it again, he placed the needle into the crease of Morgan's elbow.

"What are you doing, Cobb?" Arthur spoke for Ariadne, who was too upset to speak.

"I'm a universal donor. Her body will accept my blood." After doing this three times, he began CPR. After several minutes of violent chest presses, Cobb too began to lose hope.

"I'm sorry, Ariadne. I tried. I just-" All eyes flashed to the girl as a loud inhale cut into Cobb's speech.

After a few shaky breaths, Morgan's eyes found Arthur's.


	5. Breakups and Goodbyes

Hey guys! Sorry it took me so long to update. Taking 15 hours is killin' me! But I promise I'll try harder, for those of you who reviewed, thank you! It means a lot. I'm not going to be one of those people who beg for reviews and threaten not to update, but I do enjoy getting y'alls take on my writing! So if you loved it, hated it, thought it was "eh", made you wanna gouge your eyes out so you never have to read again, tell me! I would love to know. After all, how can you get better if you don't know your flaws? Thank you and Enjoy! Have an AWESOME day! (Or night, if you're an owl like me).

It had been a rough night for everyone, and sleep came willingly. Morgan was recovering well; Arthur had left an hour earlier to get blood from a nearby hospital. Ariadne and Morgan were covered up in the queen bed while Eames napped in the chair and Cobb stared out the window keeping watch. Tomorrow they would be traveling to a warehouse in Northern Russia, near Murmansk. Cobb worried for Ariadne, but he knew she was strong; she would adapt. Cobb looked at the girl with wavy brown hair. She really was just a girl, but at the same time she was the most wonderful woman he knew.

Arthur came back shortly before six with several pints of blood and breakfast for the group. He walked over to the bed to check on Morgan's healing progress. Her would was still inflamed, but it didn't seem to be infected. At his touch, her eyes fluttered open and scanned his face. Arthur wanted to ask her how she was feeling, but the sight of honey eyes was the only thing filling his mind. He had to resist the urge to trace a finger down her bruised cheek. The sight of pain on such a beautiful face made his heart twist with sadness and anger.

"Arthur?" Her voice was quiet and strained; the name barely escaped her lips.

"Yes?" Arthur tensely waited to see what was bothering her. Was she going to tell him to stop imagining how soft her skin would be, how her lips would feel pressed against his?

Just as those lips parted to answer his question, Ariadne stirred and sat up in the bed.

"Good morning! Or is it afternoon? Oh, hello Arthur!" Ariadne squeezed Morgan slightly, and then went into the bathroom to shower.

"We should probably start packing. We'll need to leave in an hour. Arthur give Morgan the clothes you picked up for her. Sorry if they're not your size, we had to guess." Cobb woke Eames and they both started loading guns and equipment into black rolling suitcases. Arthur went and picked up the bag with Morgan's winter clothes in. When he returned to the bed Morgan was sitting on the edge of the bed testing the strength in her legs.

"Here, let me help you up." Arthur placed an arm under hers, being careful to avoid her stitches. Once she was standing, she held onto Arthur for a few more minutes orienting herself. He noticed she seemed thinner than ever. How long had it been since she had eaten? He should know these things. He would look into finding her food after he got her dressed.

Morgan untangled herself from Arthur and walked around the hotel room a few times stretching occasionally. She gladly took the sweatshirt, jacket, jeans, and boots from Arthur in place of her blood soaked shirt and tattered bottoms.

"Thank you, Arthur." She sheepishly looked into his eyes from under her hair, and walked into the bathroom after Ariadne came out, dressed in her parka and pants. When Morgan returned to the group, Cobb noticed the clothes fit well enough, slightly too large, but in the cold clothes are better too big than too small. They spent the last few minutes in the hotel room planning their route to Murmansk and to the abandoned warehouse Arthur had found online. The five of them slipped out of the hotel and into the SUV Eames had rented for the trip. Arthur drove, Cobb sat in the passenger seat, and the other three sat shoulder to shoulder in the back seat. It was a silent, uneventful ride, for which no one could complain.

Arthur pulled into a dark alley that was invisible unless you were looking specifically for it. Cobb helped the girls out of the back while Arthur caught himself focusing on Morgan. It seemed that if he knew she was around, his attention focused on her. Arthur worried this fascination could corrupt their goal here and he painfully tore his eyes from her. Once they had all settled in the warehouse and out of the cold, Cobb and Arthur set up security cameras and the wifi so they could get busy with research. Thanks to the incident on the train, they knew that who ever was behind this was somehow related to dreaming, since they weren't after Morgan, only the dreamers.

"No, no it wouldn't be him. He has no idea about Cobol. No it wouldn't be him either, Cobol is after him too. That wouldn't make any sense!" The boys were arguing loudly, obviously narrowing down suspects. Ariadne announced that she was going to go lay down and take a nap; the boys waved that they had heard her.

"Arthur?" Her voice carried straight to Arthur. He hadn't realized it until now, but he had been searching for her voice the whole time. All three men looked up from the pile of papers and photographs to look at the girl who looked like she had been hit by a car, multiple times. Her eyes seemed serious. Her forehead was creased as if she was concentrating on something intensely.

"What's wrong, Morgan?"

"Nothing…it's just…I didn't want to say anything while Ariadne was here. She's already so stressed and you know how she gets…but I think it will help."

"What is it?" Cobb clenched and unclenched his fist. He wasn't known for being very patient. He liked things short and to the point.

"The men that came to Ariadne's apartment, and the men that found us on the train, they were the same people. At least, I thought they were. And I thought this was all connected, but the man…the man on the train…they just wanted me to think they were at the apartment. But they weren't. They're not the same people, they're not connected."

The three men kept staring at her, they weren't sure what she was trying to tell them. Arthur was the first to speak.

"Wait, so you think that they were two separate groups of people? Targeting Ariadne? For two different reasons? I'm not sure I understand…"

"No, no that's not what I meant. The men in the apartment were after Ariadne, but the men on the train, the men following us now, they are after me. The three of you and Ariadne are safe."

"But why would they be after you, and why would they want us to think they were after us?" Arthur's face was pinched; Eames seemed to be completely lost.

"The man on the train, I assumed he was the one who shot me because he seemed familiar. But I realized last night that he seemed familiar because he was at the same camp I was. We were both trained to kill people, only I got out and he stayed there. They've been sending people after ever since then. Sometimes it's to kill me, or sometimes it's to bring me back to re-train me. The men on the train are after me, not y'all. When I leave here, y'all will be safe to go back home. But stay here, just for a few more days. And tell Ariadne, tell her that I'm sorry for breaking my promise. Goodbye."

Morgan glanced at the others one last time, letting her eyes linger on Arthur's for a few extra seconds. She knew she would never see him again, and she was sorry that she never told him how she felt about him. After all, he had saved her life.

"No! You can't go! If you leave here, you won't be safe. And if you leave, Ariadne will come looking for you, and then she won't be safe. You know she will. She won't give up on you." Arthur pushed back his chair and rushed to Morgan. He grabbed both of her upper arms forcefully and stared into her eyes. How could he survive without seeing her again, now that he knew she existed?

"Then you will just have to keep her here. All of you. Make sure she doesn't come looking for me. Tell her whatever is necessary to make her stay. I'm sorry, Arthur. Goodbye." She jerked herself out of his grip and walked out the door into the snow. In disbelief, Arthur and the others simply watched her leave.


	6. Bonds and Ties

"What do you mean GONE? How could you just let her leave? I HATE you! All of you!" Ariadne was in tears and falling apart fast. The men tried to explain what happened, but Ariadne wouldn't hear any of it. Cobb was physically restraining her from running out of the door. After fighting him off for a few minutes, Ariadne finally collapsed into him; breaking into heaving sobs.

Cobb set Ariadne down in the nearest chair and sat on the floor next to her to ensure she wouldn't try to leave again. Arthur and Eames sat next to each other staring blanking at the pages in front of them. Arthur was so confused. Why did he feel so heart broken over this girl? They weren't even that close, and it was ridiculous of him to think that she might feel the same way about him. These feelings of being out of control were just so new to him; he didn't feel like himself.

It had been three days since Morgan left. She was certain the men on the train were after her. She left several trails so they wouldn't find the warehouse Arthur and Ariadne were in, but the cold and hunger was starting to get to her. She laid down in the bed she had made from herself on top of the snow and was just drifting into a dream when suddenly a bag was thrust over her head and everything went black.

"Here Arthur, drink this. You too, Ariadne." Cobb handed the two of them a cup of hot coffee. Both of them had been depressed the past three days. Cobb needed to get the team back together if they were going to get back home alive. God knows how many people that girl had brought on their tails. Cobb still couldn't understand why Ariadne was so attached to this girl; and what was with Arthur acting like he lost someone he loved? He didn't even know this girl. No one did. Cobb wasn't even sure Ariadne did.

Eames was lightly snoring on the couch a few yards away from Ariadne. Ariadne brought the cup to her mouth when suddenly she convulsed onto the floor.

"Ariadne!" Cobb's shout woke Eames and he immediately drew his gun from his side. Cobb and Arthur rushed to Ariadne, but it was two late. They had fallen for the trick. Suddenly a dozen men came in and surrounded the team. They were out numbered.

"Well, well, well. Looky here boys. We got ourselves a whole team." The man smiled down at the four of them, now tied up and restrained to individual chairs. Gagged and with nowhere to go, they were helpless. Cobb recognized the man who seemed to be claiming leadership as one of the main men involved in a Cobol scandal.

"Now here's what the four of you are going to do: I know a man who is trying to claim a huge bundle of money for my head. I want him gone, first of all. And then I want you to perform Inception of Thomas Wick. You might remember him as the "President" of Cobol, whatever that means. I want him to forget about me, and I want him to instead believe that Jean Pilmer is the man he's looking for. Got it? Simple enough, am I right Dom?" The man smiled at Cobb and signaled for one of his men to untie the gag in Cobb's mouth.

"That's impossible. You know that. You're just sending us to our deaths."

"Oh, that sure is too bad you feel that way. Gag him. Maybe you feel differently, Arthur?" Now it was Arthur's turn to be un-gagged so he could speak.

"We would never do that. Like Cobb said, it's a suicide mission."

"Tsk tsk tsk. It really is too bad you feel that way. Maybe this will change your minds though…Bryce? Would you mind?" The man pulled up a chair and placed in directly in front of the four of them. As Bryce left the room, the man simply stared at the four of them with a devious look on his face.

After a few minutes, they soon found out why the man was looking at them; he was judging their reaction. Bryce returned, this time however he came back in dragging a body with him. To Ariadne's horror, she realized it was the body of Morgan. Tears immediately fell from her face as the blood left her pale. Arthur's body began furiously fighting against the bonds. He wasn't about to just watch them kill her.

"Oh, maybe you will change your minds after all then? You all do seem a little tense…maybe this will help." The man walked over to Morgan semi-conscious body, took out a knife, and while Ariadne screamed he plunged the blade into Morgan's side. Morgan's body deceived her and folded in half against the pain, but no sound escaped her lips besides a sharp intake of air. She wasn't about to give these bastards what they wanted. Morgan could also hear Ariadne and knew if she showed too much pain Ariadne would stress more than she already was. Bryce released her and Morgan fell to the ground.

"Oh look boys, Arthur has something to say. What is it?"

"We'll do it. We'll do whatever you want. Just let her go, let them all go. You can keep me. I can do this on my own." Arthur's eyes frantically switched between the man and Morgan's body on the ground.

"Hmm, tempting. But no." The man behind Arthur quickly gagged him again then landed a punch to his gut. Arthur doubled over but kept his composure.

"Maybe the lovely Ariadne has something to add?" The man walked directly in front of Ariadne, questioning her with his eyes. Ariadne was close to hysterics and shakily shook her head.

"No? Maybe she just needs a small push Bryce. Put the girl in the chair." Bryce picked up Morgan and set her in the chair. Morgan fought to keep her eyes open. The lack of sleep and the drugs they had given her were taking awhile to wear off. The last thing Morgan remembered before she passed out again was Bryce's fist speeding towards her face.

It had been going on for hours. The men would punch Morgan, or maybe Arthur, and sometimes Cobb. But the man wasn't satisfied yet. He was looking for something but they didn't quite know what. Arthur, face bloodied, couldn't take his eyes off of Morgan's petite frame on the ground. Her breathing had slowed so much, he wasn't even sure if she was still breathing. He had to get them out of this mess somehow. He wasn't going to sit around while everyone he cared about died.

"Oh dear, this just isn't what I thought it would be. This will be your last chance Cobb. Untie the girl and bring her here." Bryce walked over to Ariadne and untied her bonds. She immediately fell on the floor and crawled to Morgan.

"Mo? Mo wake up. Morgan?" She shook Morgan until Bryce came and pulled Ariadne away. Placing her in the chair in front of the other three men, he re-tied her bonds.

"Architects are pretty easy to come by, aren't they Cobb? I guess this one really doesn't mean too much then, huh?" At these words, Ariadne panicked and began thrusting against her bonds. The other three men began doing the same, and Cobb yelled against his gags. The man approached Ariadne bearing the knife he had also cut Morgan with. The tip had just brushed her neck when the man fell to the ground. Standing behind him was Morgan. The other men in the room rushed her, but they didn't stand a chance.

Morgan easily took them all out. When the last man lay face down on the ground, she made her way over to Ariadne to untie her bonds. Ariadne sobbed into Morgan and held her there for a few seconds. Morgan than went to Cobb, Eames, and finally Arthur to set them free. Arthur couldn't do much more than stare at Morgan. He had thought she was dead, but it seemed she was only saving her strength to free them. She weakly smiled at him and then turned to Ariadne, who was being supported by Cobb.

"Come on, let's get out of here."


	7. Guns with Coffee

Morgan slept while Ariadne talked quietly to Cobb in the corner of the car. The team with Morgan had hopped another train from Russia to India. Arthur assessed the team and made himself busy cleaning wounds and setting any broken bones. Other than a few bruises and scrapes the team was okay. Morgan's stab wound had been cleaned and packed. Thankfully she was unconscious so Arthur had plenty of time to make sure no vital organs or arteries had been hit.

"So, what's the plan now point-man?" Eames' attempt at pulling Arthur's strings failed due to the stress of the situation and the overall sleep-deprivation of the group.

"Go to India. Stay on the down low for a while. Then we'll need a chemist, just in case. If they threaten us again, we'll have no choice but to perform inception." The mood of the car plummets as the team realizes this is inevitable.

Eames, Arthur, and Ariadne drift into sleep while Cobb stays on lookout. Cobb pulls a small down blanket over Ariadne. His hand lingers on her face as he remembers that just a few hours ago her life hung in the balance.

"I knew you couldn't be all bad." Morgan stirs as she sits into a position that is the least painful.

"Oh, I didn't know you were awake. How do you, uh, feel? Okay?" Cobb nervously runs his hand through his hair and sits on the bench opposite Morgan.

"Yeah, okay. I've been better. I'm just glad everyone's okay."

"Thank you, Morgan. You saved Ariadne yet again. You saved all of our lives."

"Oh, don't mention it. You all saved my life, too. More than once."

"I know, but, what I'm trying to say is that…I'm sorry. I underestimated you. I thought you were just some girl following Ariadne around hoping to go into dreams. I didn't realize…how much you actually care for her. I'm glad she has someone like you."

"She saved my life too, once. I owe her everything. She's the family I never had."

An empty silence hangs in the car as city lights flicker out the window. Cobb picks up a newspaper and flips through the pages.

"So, uh, Arthur seems quite taken with you." Cobb clears his throat and glances at Morgan over the paper.

"Oh. I don't think so. It's his job to ensure the protection of the team. That's all."

"Mhmm." Cobb mumbles and then returns his attention to the paper.

"I'm gonna walk around the train a bit. Stretch out my legs. Maybe find some coffee. Would you like one?"

"Oh, no that's fine. But here…take this. Just in case." Cobb opens a black suitcase and hands Morgan a small pistol. She takes it and slowly walks out of the car. Making sure no one sleeping is disturbed.

After several minutes have gone by, Arthur stirs awake to relieve Cobb of his duty.

"Where's Morgan?" Cobb can sense panic in Arthur's voice and becomes even more concerned of the point mans feelings for the girl.

"She went to get a coffee. You can go find her if you want. I'm not tired yet." Arthur loads his gun and leaves the car.

After searching most of the car Arthur starts to panic. What if she's gone? What if she's bleeding out somewhere? Just when Arthur checks the last empty car, a voice appears behind him.

"Looking for me?" The voice is soft and tired. Arthur turns to find Morgan holding a cup of coffee. She passes him in the doorway and sits on the bench.

"Hey, yeah, I was just checking in. You know, point stuff." Arthur fiddles with his gun and after careful consideration he sits on the bench opposite Morgan after closing the car door.

"Will you check my stitches? I think one of them is coming loose. Please."

"Oh, yes of course." Arthur stands and crosses the distance between them. Morgan lifts and takes off her shirt, leaving her in a simple black lace bra. Arthur passes, unsure of how to proceed. An image flashes in his mind, and he quickly has to think of something else other than her breasts. So instead he looks at all the bruises and dried blood. Not to mention the now protruding ribs that reveal how tired and hungry she must be.

He gently touches the stitches and pulls on one of them. Sure enough, it's a little loose and a few drops of blood drip down. Morgan winches slightly and arches her back.

"Sorry. It seems to be loose. I could re-do them for you, but it would be painful now that you're conscious. We don't have anymore morphine."

"It's fine, just do it. I'm okay." Morgan lays down on the bench and Arthur kneels on the ground and begins working on her stitches. Being ever so careful not to cause pain, his fingers move quickly and gracefully. Occasionally a nerve is pulled and Morgan winces. When Arthur is putting on the last stitch, there's a light knock on the door. Arthur gets up and looks out the window. Two men in black suits stand outside. Panicked, he locks the door and draws his gun.

"What is it? Arthur?" Morgan sits up and crosses to him. Arthur pulls her close to him and puts his hand gently over her mouth to signal her not to make a sound. The men knock a second time, this time more forcefully. Morgan pulls her gun from her boots and the two of them stand ready for the intruders.

"Hello? This is our car. We paid for the ticket to sit in our car not to stand in the hallway!" Arthur and Morgan look around to find two suitcases in the top racks. With a sigh of relief, Morgan carefully puts on her shirt and Arthur unlocks the door.

"Sorry, we were so tired we must have got the wrong car number." Arthur politely nods to the men who grumble and return to their car. The couple walks back to the appropriate car in silence.

Arthur buys croissants and small sandwiches and carefully watches to make sure Morgan ate something substantial. Satisfied when she's finished one sandwich, he takes his next break.

The rest of the train ride is peaceful with one person on lookout while the others rest. When they arrive in India, Arthur instructs the team to split up. Although it pains him, he knows the girls must go with Eames to find a place to stay, and Cobb must come with Arthur to find a chemist. Cobb and Arthur pulls Eames aside to ensure he realizes how precious his cargo is and if anything is to happen to them, Cobb and Arthur will see to it that Eames can never again have any sort of relations with women.

The groups say goodbye and go on their separate ways. Although he doesn't know why, Arthur has a sinking feeling that something terrible is going to happen. And he can only hope that he's wrong.


	8. Heartbreak over Heartache

The girls and Eames had found an abandoned shop that was suitable enough for their needs. After doing a perimeter sweep, Eames and Morgan settled themselves on a dusty counter. Ariadne dozed off in a lounge chair in the corner.

"So, you never answered my question. Is there a lucky guy back home?" Eames questioned Morgan while slurping down some noodle soup.

"Nope. What's to say I'm even in to guys?" Morgan lightly laughs and raises her eyes in question to Eames.

"Well, if you're not that's bloody rotten luck for me."

"You mean to say someone like you doesn't have fifty women? Come on, you have to have at _least_ a dozen, right?"

"A dozen? Oh no. Not all at one time, at least. Even I couldn't handle that. But maybe, I don't know…" Eames gave Morgan a look as if he was deep in thought. And Morgan thought she could detect some form of desire and passion in them.

"You don't know what?" Morgan questioned while giving him a look that was equally enticing.

"I don't know, I just think maybe someone like you could change my mind."

Morgan's eyes widened and the tension between them grew until she reached over and took his cup of soup from his hands, placing it on the counter out of his reach while scooting closer to him.

"Oh yeah? Prove it."

Eames didn't need much more invitation than that. He closed the distance between them on the counter and wrapped his hand around her neck, pulling her into his lips. His other hand found her hip while her hands greedily pulled at his back. Pushing the two of them down, Eames positioned himself on top of Morgan so as not to crush her but allowing their bodies to touch. Eames hand slipped down Morgan's hip to pull her leg around his side. Sliding his hand back down her thigh, a moan escaped Morgan's lips. It had been a long time since she had been in this situation, and her body's instincts were taking over.

Morgan greedily pulled at Eames' belt and this combined with her moan almost put him over the edge. Composing himself, he let her undo his belt while his tongue explored her mouth. Her breaths were becoming ragged, turning Eames on more than he ever had been in his life. Certain that things were going to go all the way, Eames was nothing less than completely enraged when the sound of a car door slamming signaled Arthur and Cobb's arrival.

"Dammit!" Eames unwillingly pulled himself off Morgan and fastened his belt back.

Morgan's breath still coming out ragged, her cheeks a deep shade of pink, managed to sit up and gain control of her body again. What the hell had she just done?

Arthur and Cobb came through the side door checking the place out. Arthur's eyes met Morgan's and he noticed something different about them. Not being able to place it yet, he put the bags he was carrying down and inspected some of the dust in the room.

"Not too bad, good work Eames." Cobb, satisfied the place was good enough seated himself on some old boxes and closed his eyes.

"Thanks but it was really Morgan's idea. You should probably lie down, mate. You look awfully tired. Not that you look that good on your best day, but then again not everyone can be as charming as I am." Eames flashed Arthur and Morgan his most dashing smile.

"Thank goodness, no." Morgan joked at Eames.

Eames joined Morgan in laughter until Ariadne woke up and joined them at the counter.

"Ooh soup! Did you save me some?" The three of them drank their soup in silence but every once in a while Eames and Morgan would catch each others eyes and share a secretive smile.

Arthur watched Eames and Morgan questioningly. What had happened while he was gone? They kept glancing at each other as if they had some sort of secret together.

Still a little flustered from what happened with Eames earlier, Morgan dismissed herself to go lie down. After she finished her soup, Ariadne joined her.

Satisfied that the girls were asleep, Arthur moved in on Eames.

"What the hell happened while we were gone?"

"Why, darling, I don't have any idea what you're talking about." But Eames had a sly grin on his face that said otherwise.

"Yes you do. I can tell by your face. Something happened."

"Well mate, not to brag or anything, but I think Morgan is quite taken with me."

"What are you talking about?" Arthur's concern and anger grew at the way Eames stated this.

"I mean we shared an, _intimate_, moment while you were away."

The look Eames got when he said "intimate" causes a fury of bile swirl in Arthur's stomach. Is it possible that Morgan was really into Eames? The thought of her with someone else, especially Eames was almost unbearable it couldn't be true.

"No, surely you don't-"

"Oh I do, Arthur. And if it wasn't for you and Cobb's arrival, things would have gone farther. A lot farther."

With those words, Eames slid off the counter and walked over to the window, still wearing that grin on his face. Arthur was shocked into silence. He should have never left her alone with Eames. What if she was into him? Could he watch them be together when something inside of him longed for Morgan? Arthur contemplated this news while a pain grew steadily in his chest.


End file.
